


(more than) best friends

by onward



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining, my favorite tag, of course
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-04
Updated: 2015-06-04
Packaged: 2018-04-02 19:28:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4071859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onward/pseuds/onward
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kageyama doesn’t really know what to call himself and Hinata.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(more than) best friends

**Author's Note:**

> *bursts in 5 months late waving this fic around wildly* HAPPY BIRTHDAY [NATALIA](http://byetobio.tumblr.com)!!!! wow, so much has happened while writing this fic. i discovered that a) i can't write anyone above 25 for SHIT (i tried to write you ukatake and failed dramatically) b) it IS possible to give yourself an electric shock while writing fanfiction!! what a miracle (i can't believe myself either) and c) wow these volleyball nerds are really dumb and really gay. its basically canon tho how wonderful  
> anyway. i hope you like it. i enjoyed writing these little gays for you, and i hope you enjoy reading about their misadventure.

Kageyama doesn’t really know what to call himself and Hinata.

Had someone asked him three months ago, his answer wouldn’t have been far off from “arch-nemeses.” A month and a half ago they were rivals. Now he’s not really sure.

They still compete, of course–just yesterday Hinata slammed his finger in the changing room locker trying to finish getting dressed faster than Kageyama–but all their rivalry is starting to mix with other moments, like the two of them eating lunch together more and more often, and nighttime extra practices becoming a ritual. 

Were it anyone else (and were _he_ anyone else), Kageyama might call it the beginning of friendship. But Kageyama doesn’t really make _friends_ , and Hinata is far from the type of person he would get along with anyway. He’s impulsive, bright, loud, and always has too much energy to deal with properly (Kageyama is 99% sure that Hinata fills his mind with _volleyballvolleyballvolleyballvolleyball_ whenever he has nothing else to think about so he’ll never waste a second of his life not working on the game.)

Except the fact is that Kageyama is growing _fond_ of Hinata. He realizes it at practice one day in early May. He and Hinata are practicing the normal bump-set-spike combination with Nishinoya when Hinata slips a little as he jumps and he comes down on his left ankle. Kageyama’s first thought is _is he okay,_ and it occupies the back of his mind while he yells insults at Hinata for messing up so stupidly. It only occurs to him later when they find out that Hinata’s okay that Kageyama didn’t even consider the tactical loss that having Hinata injured would entail for the team.

Kageyama starts really thinking about the potential of actual, comradely _friendship_ when he first notices Hinata smiling around him. When they first meet, Hinata never smiles: it’s always determined grimaces or pouting faces, never anything else. But over time, as Hinata grows (unfortunately) less and less afraid of Kageyama, Hinata starts to joke around him more often. And yeah, it’s _annoying_ (Kageyama doesn’t actually sound like that when he talks, dammit, that impression is way off), but at the same time it’s kind of nice to see someone laugh at him without fearing for their lives. It also helps that Hinata’s laugh is nice to listen to–but Kageyama would never admit that to anyone. 

From then on it becomes obvious that they're not just rivals anymore. Kageyama spends an irrational amount of time thinking actually _nice_ things about Hinata. Thankfully, Hinata doesn’t seem to despise him: they spend more and more time together, and Hinata keeps smiling more and more often. It makes Kageyama want to smile back, or reach out to Hinata to, well, he doesn’t really know, ruffle his hair or something? He doesn’t, though; instead he just frowns at Hinata and acts like he doesn’t care. 

He wonders if thoughts like those are strange: sometimes Kageyama just wants to hold Hinata’s hand or play with his hair or run a finger across his palm or have Hinata sit on his lap while they play video games together for hours. Kageyama wonders if other best friends do things like that when they’re alone; cuddle and hold hands. Or if they want to do it. Does Hinata want to? Kageyama has always though that these kinds of things happen between boys and girls only, but do guys do it with their best friends? Maybe that’s how this works. It would make sense, as that’s what he and Hinata seem to be. 

Best friends.

The concept is strange, but it brings a small smile to Kageyama’s lips, so he doesn’t ignore it.

~ ~ ~

It’s a late May afternoon when his whole world shifts.

He’s heading to the changing rooms after practice with Nishinoya, Tanaka and Hinata. He and Hinata are walking in silence while the two second-years chatter on about the girls in their class. They’re arguing over who would get confessed to by the most girls on Valentine’s Day when Tanaka turns to Kageyama and Hinata. 

“How about our first years, huh? Either of you two been confessed to yet?” 

Kageyama’s expecting Hinata to crack some kind of joke about how twisted a girl would have to be to confess to Kageyama of all people, but instead Hinata just forces out stilted laughter, rubbing the back of his neck and avoiding everyone’s eyes.

Nishinoya and Tanaka don’t seem to see anything wrong, looking between Hinata’s awkward laugh and Kageyama’s dumbfounded expression. “I’ll take that as a no, then. Perhaps if you model after your gifted senpai you’ll have more success,” Tanaka says with a grin. Hinata smiles, lopsided, and Kageyama tries to force out an expression that conveys “yes, I agree with you” to end the conversation there.

Hinata seems off the whole rest of the way to the club room. Kageyama keeps an eye on him, wondering what’s wrong. Has he confessed to someone and been rejected, maybe? Maybe he’s waiting for someone to confess to him? The thought leaves a sour taste in Kageyama’s mouth.

They both finish changing and Kageyama follows Hinata as he goes to get his bike. Kageyama wonders what he should do. How do people comfort their friends? It’s not exactly something he’s ever been faced with. 

“Hinata,” Kageyama blurts as Hinata is unlocking his bike, “Tell me what is wrong.”

Well. It could have gone worse.

Hinata looks at Kageyama, wide-eyed for a moment before he breaks out into forced laughter. 

“Nothing’s wrong! Why would you think something’s wrong? Everything’s perfectly fine!” he exclaims, waving his arms around as if to emphasize his point. Kageyama whacks him on the back of the head.

“Dumbass, quit lying. You’re being obvious.”

Hinata frowns, rubbing the back of his head. “It’s really nothing,” he says. Kageyama just glares at him. Hinata sighs and looks away. He starts humming some song Kageyama is pretty sure Hinata heard from the radio, though he’s making it oddly high-pitched and his voice is wavering too much for Kageyama to be sure. After a minute of just staring at Hinata as he fiddles with his bike lock Kageyama is about to decide whether to yell at him more or drop it when Hinata stops humming and inhales deeply.

“Ilikeboys,” he says, all in one breath. He’s squeezing his eyes shut, and his hands have balled into fists at his sides. 

Kageyama stares at him blankly. “What?”

“I like boys, like, in the way most boys like girls,” Hinata explains. He’s still turning his face away. Kageyama furrows his eyebrows together. He means… romantically? Like, going on dates and stuff?

“Wait… is that even possible?” he wonders aloud.

Hinata glares at him. At least he’s looking at him now. “Yes, dumb Kageyama, obviously!” Hinata pauses, looking down. “You’re not… you’re not weirded out, are you?”

Kageyama thinks about it. “Not really,” he decides, “Doesn’t really seem that weird.”

They’re quiet for a moment, the only sound around them being the crickets chirping in the surrounding bushes. 

“How do you know, though?” Kageyama asks, suddenly. Hinata jumps a little, then his face brightens in increments until he’s red as a tomato. 

“There’s… someone…” he mumbles, looking down.

“Oh,” Kageyama answers. He looks away, attempting to steer the conversation away from this path by not speaking. It doesn’t work; the air only gets more awkward. Someone on the team, maybe? Or one of Hinata’s classmates? Kageyama scrunches up his nose. The thought of Hinata crushing on someone is bizarre.

“A-anyway,” Hinata mumbles, “I should be getting home. Practice got out kinda late today and my mom will be wondering where I am. See you at practice tomorrow! Bye!” 

Hinata’s jumped on his bike and has started pedaling away by the time Kageyama can call out a “See you later.”

~ ~ ~

That night, Kageyama finds that he can’t sleep. If boys can like boys, then… Does that mean that the way he thinks about Hinata isn’t really platonic?

He curls in on himself, pulling the blanket up around him and holding it so tight his knuckles turn white. What if he ruins their… whatever it is they have? What if they can never speak to each other again and the team has to live without the two of them? What if one of them has to quit volleyball because of it?

Kageyama pulls the blanket over his head and tries to clear his mind. He needs to get a decent amount of sleep if he wants a good practice tomorrow.

He’s up for another two hours, tossing and turning until his exhaustion overpowers his restless mind.

~ ~ ~

Kageyama does everything he can to avoid Hinata the next day. At first, he thinks he’ll just keep it a secret, not tell Hinata and hope they’ll live out the rest of high school without bringing it up. Then he accidentally almost tells Hinata as soon as they see each other, so instead of saying good morning he makes a weird face and speed-walks away, deciding to retreat until he can come up with some kind of plan. 

The only plan he comes up with is: just… avoid Hinata until he finds a reason not to anymore. Yeah, that will work.

He manages to follow the plan all the way to practice that day, hiding on the other side of school at lunch to make sure Hinata doesn’t find him and taking roundabout routes to class so they don’t run into each other.

Practice is awkward, and the whole team feels it. Kageyama doesn’t yell at Hinata, and Hinata doesn’t yell back, and everyone is just looking at them as if they’ve been replaced by another pair of nicer, more polite first-years who are actually kind to each other to some degree. 

Daichi ends up letting them out early, telling everyone to get some sleep and come back better rested tomorrow. He looks right at Kageyama when he says it, and Kageyama looks away.

In another attempt to avoid Hinata, Kageyama decides that he can change at home, and runs to the changing room to grab his bag before Hinata can get there. He’s shoving his clothes into his sports bag when he hears a familiar voice speak up from behind him. 

“Why are you avoiding me?” 

Whipping around, he finds Hinata standing there, clutching the bottom of his shirt with both hands. 

“I… I thought said you were okay with it!” Hinata looks like he’s fighting back tears, and his voice is quivering slightly. 

Kageyama furrows his eyebrows, thinking about what Hinata means. His eyes open wide with shock as it registers that Hinata must have thought Kageyama was avoiding him because of what he said the day before.

“This isn’t about that!” Kageyama yells, and it comes out sounding more menacing than he’d intended.

“Then what is it?” Hinata shouts back immediately, an angry edge to his voice. 

Kageyama looks down. “I… I can’t tell you.” _For your own good_ , he doesn’t add.

“Why not?” Hinata says. He looks a little panicked.

“It’s not about you, stupid!” Kageyama says. There’s a lie if he ever knew one. “I’ll tell you when I can,” he adds on, hoping Hinata will just drop it.

Hinata stares at him a bit longer, his eyes narrowed a little bit, before sighing.

“You’re sure it has nothing to do with yesterday?” Hinata asks.

“Promise,” Kageyama tells him. “If I had a problem with it, I would have told you in the first place.” Well, at least that’s the truth.

Hinata smiles, if only a little bit. “Okay. Well then, see you tomorrow I guess.”

Kageyama blinks, then remembers he was just leaving. “Yeah, see you tomorrow.”

~ ~ ~

Things go back to normal, mostly.

It’s weird at first, Hinata having shared his secret and Kageyama keeping his, but little by little they start to forget it and go back to how they were before. They eat lunch together, practice together, and compete over everything, and soon no one remembers something odd going on between them at all.

Kageyama learns to accept the fact that he maybe, possibly, actually has a crush on Hinata Shouyou. Maybe he gets stupid happy feelings whenever they manage their freak quick that he can’t just attribute to pride. And maybe Hinata’s stupid peppy personality makes him feel warm from his head to his toes. But it’s part of his life now (god knows he’s tried to stop it, without success), so he may as well learn to live with it.

He tries his best to hide it. Sometimes he catches himself staring at Hinata for a little too long, or he feels the urge to smile whenever Hinata gets excited about something, so he hides it behind more insults and roughhousing. 

Most of all, though, Kageyama is preoccupied with who it is that Hinata has a crush on. Today they’re practicing jump serves, and Kageyama’s watching Hinata to see if his interactions with anyone make it obvious it's them he likes. It would have to be someone he gets along with, of course, which does rule out a few people on the team. It’s probably someone he talks to fairly often, as Hinata doesn’t really seem like the shy type. Kageyama keeps an eye out for anything that would clue him in further, but he doesn’t catch anything. Maybe Hinata is just really good at hiding it. Kageyama rubs his arm against his forehead to wipe the sweat off his brow. He’s supposed to be focusing, dammit. 

Kageyama’s about to serve again when he hears Hinata laugh from where he’s appeared beside Kageyama. Hinata giggles and points out the way Kageyama's hair got messed up when he passed his arm over it. Kageyama reaches out to shove Hinata out of fake reproach, but at the same time Hinata ducks and Kageyama ends up falling forward. He feels his leg hit Hinata, who comes tumbling down underneath him, and then he finds himself with his two arms shoved out at the ground in reflex, Hinata caught between them underneath him.

Neither of them move for what feels like an eternity. Kageyama just stares at Hinata for a a bit, before someone in the back wolf whistles at them and he comes to his senses, pushing himself up and off as fast as he can. He jumps up, shouting a brief apology before running back to keep practicing his serves, this time in the opposite corner of the gym.

They play a six-on-six practice match at the end of the day, and when Hinata and Kageyama manage to get a spike past Tsukishima’s block and Hinata smiles at Kageyama, his face red from the exertion, Kageyama grins back so widely that his cheeks hurts a little afterwards. 

~ ~ ~

They end up walking home together. Kageyama takes longer to change than Hinata, and when he walks out he finds Hinata holding his bike waiting for him by the road. 

They’ve walked back together before, or at least the part of the route they can before they have to go their separate ways. They’ve never done so without prior agreement, though, so this time Kageyama thinks it feels different.

The clouds are just beginning to clear out from the afternoon showers, and with the sun setting in the background, they’ve turned pink and orange against the light blue sky. Kageyama and Hinata walk to their splitting point without speaking, the sound of Hinata’s squeaking bike filling the silence.

“Thanks for a good practice today,” Hinata says when they get there, staring right into Kageyama’s eyes, and Kageyama doesn’t even bother trying to think of an insult to respond to it.

They’re only standing a few feet apart, and Kageyama can’t help but think that the setting sun’s light makes Hinata look even more captivating than usual. 

Kageyama finds himself leaning forward, just the tiniest bit, and he thinks he sees Hinata do the same so his instinct tells him to keep going slightly. When he catches Hinata looking at his lips, though, Kageyama jerks back up, realizing what he had been doing.

“I’ve, uhm, I’ve got to go! See you tomorrow!”

He spins around and speed-walks away until he’s sure Hinata can’t see him anymore.

~ ~ ~

The next day he feels like he’s back to square one, like the day after he figured out how he felt about Hinata. Kageyama spends morning class time wondering whether he should make any kind of serious attempt to avoid Hinata, and when lunch comes he ends up hanging back in the classroom, still debating what to do.  

By the time he’s grabbed his lunch and has decided to just go out and see what happens, he finds Hinata standing in the classroom, a few desks away.

Kageyama’s breath catches in his throat just as Hinata lets out his.

“You’ve been acting really weird lately and it’s kind of freaking me out and believe it or not I actually kind of care about you so please just tell me what is going on so I can help you okay!” Hinata shouts.

Hinata takes a few steps forward as he says it, and soon he’s close enough to have Kageyama a little intimidated at the short distance. Kageyama looks at Hinata, all wide eyes and desperate hope, and he’s overwhelmed with a sudden urge to kiss him and a remarkable lack of a reason not to. So, reasonable as he is not, he does just that.

His lips kind of crash into Hinata’s, and their teeth clink briefly, and it takes a moment but then Hinata seems to understand what’s going on and starts kissing back. Kageyama can feel the corners of Hinata’s lips turn up around his own.

When he pulls away, Hinata’s still smiling.

“You’re really bad at that,” Hinata says.

“Shut up!” Kageyama answers. He can feel his face heating up.

“I think you should do it again,” Hinata says, “So you can practice.” His smile has turned into something that more resembles a smirk. Kageyama feels his face grow even warmer.

The second time is already better than the first.

**Author's Note:**

> i'll just go... start on next year's gift then... OTL


End file.
